Intracluster stars tracing motions in nearby clusters

Cosmological simulations of structure formation predict that galaxies are dramatically modified by galaxy harassment during the assembly of galaxy clusters, losing a substantial fraction of their stellar mass which today must be in the form of intracluster stars. Simulations predict non-uniform spatial and radial velocity distributions for these stars. Intracluster planetary nebulae are the only abundant component of the intracluster light whose kinematics can be measured at this time. Comparing these velocity distributions with simulations will provide a unique opportunity to investigate the hierarchical cluster formation process as it takes place in the nearby universe.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, to appear in the XXIst IAP Colloquium "Mass Profiles and Shapes of Cosmological Structures", Paris 4-9 July 2005, France, (Eds.) G. Mamon, F. Combes, C. Deffayet, B. Fort, EAS Publications Serie

The Planetary Nebulae Populations in the Local Group

Planetary nebulae have been used as tracers of light and kinematics for the stellar populations in early-type galaxies since more than twenty years. Several empirical properties have surfaced: for example the invariant bright cut-off of the planetary nebulae luminosity function and correlations of the luminosity specific PN number with the integrated properties of the parent stellar populations. These observed properties are poorly understood in terms of a simple model of a ionized nebula expanding around a non-evolving central star. In order to make further steps, we need to study self-contained systems at know distances whose PN populations are sufficiently nearby to permit investigation into their physical properties. The galaxies in the Local Group represent a valid proxies to study these late phases of evolved stellar populations with a spread of metallicities, $\alpha$-element enhancements, and star forming histories.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures. To appear in "Lessons from the Local Group - A Conference in Honour of David Block and Bruce Elmegreen" (eds. Freeman, K.C., Elmegreen, B.G., Block, D.L. \& Woolway, M., SPRINGER: NEW YORK

Rhetorical smoke without revolutionary fire : a study of the consciousness of the New Zealand Waterside Workers Federation, 1915-1937 : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Sociology at Massey University

Page 302 is missing from the original copy.This thesis has two purposes. The first is to establish a tool for a Marxist analysis of trade union consciousness; the second is to demonstrate it in action in a case study of the New Zealand Waterside Workers Federation (NZWWF) from 1915-1937. Basing itself on the work of the classic Marxist revolutionary theorists, (Marx, Engels, Lenin, Trotsky, Luxemburg, Lukacs and Gramsci), a Marxist typology of essential revolutionary concepts is constructed. This is designed to assess the degree of revolutionary consciousness of any particular union, that is, the degree to which it struggles against bourgeois constraints or, on the contrary, the degree to which it succumbs. A multi-factorial, bi-polar typology is then built up from basic Marxist concepts with particular reference to trade unions and their role under capitalism and this typology is used to analyse the consciousness of the watersides. This analysis includes both a study of the historical constraints facing them and a detailed study of their responses. The historical constraints are the economic, political, and ideological forces confronting the trade union movement as a whole 1915-1937, together with an account of the development of the trade union movement within these constraints. The role of the transport workers and the watersiders within the wider union movement is described. The typology is then applied to the contents of the Federation newspaper, the Transport Worker, (TW), and the decisions of the Federation as recorded in the Minutes of its Annual (later Biennial) Conferences from 1915-1937. The actions and ideas of the Federation are discussed according to periods set by the economic and political conditions external to the union: Boom, 1915-1921; Stagnation 1922-1929; Depression, 1930-1934; Labour Government, 1935-1937. The Federation shows a development from a syndicalist, though not militant, position to one leaning heavily on political action through the parliamentary Labour Party

CHANGES IN LAND UTILIZATION IN HUNGARY SINCE THE TRANSITION

The paper discusses the fluctuation of the proportion of cultivation, the development of agrarian operating and organizational structure, the separation of estate tenancy and land use, along with the change of law. In the backward areas and territories with adverse endowment, further questions remain open during the temporal changes of land use. My study is not only limited to the description of changes, but also aims to illustrate general conclusions relating to the preferred structure and proportion of land use in Hungary.land utilization, farm structure, farm size, Land Economics/Use,

EXCHANGE RATE FLUCTUATIONS AND ECONOMIC ACTIVITY IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES: THEORY AND EVIDENCE

This paper examines the effects of exchange rate fluctuations on real output growth and price inflation in a sample of twenty-two developing countries. The analysis introduces a theoretical rational expectation model that decomposes movements in the exchange rate into anticipated and unanticipated components. The model demonstrates the effects of demand and supply channels on the output and price responses to changes in the exchange rate. In general, exchange rate depreciation, both anticipated and unanticipated, decreases real output growth and increases price inflation. The evidence confirms concerns about the negative effects of currency depreciation on economic performance in developing countries.Exchange Rate, Output Growth, Price Inflation, Supply vs. Demand Shifts

Computer simulations, mathematics and economics

Economists lise different kinds of computer simulation. However, there is little attention on the theory of simulation, which is considered either a technology or an extension of mathematical theory or, else, a way of modelling that is alternative to verbal description and mathematical models. The paper suggests a systematisation of the relationship between simulations, mathematics and economics. In particular, it traces the evolution of simulation techniques, comments some of the contributions that deal with their nature, and, finally, illustrates with some examples their influence on economie theory. Keywords: Computer simulation, economie methodology, multi-agent programming techniques.